Our Mission

IMG_0246.jpg
 

Nurturing change together

Center for the Pacific Asian Family (CPAF) was founded to help address domestic violence and sexual assault in the Asian and Pacific Islander communities.

Our mission is to build healthy and safe communities by addressing the root causes and consequences of family violence and violence against women. We are committed to meeting the specific cultural and language needs of Asian and Pacific Islander women and their families.

Our vision is of an Asian and Pacific Islander community that embraces healthy relationships and works in partnership with other communities to eradicate all forms of violence.

 
 
CPAF Tree.png

About our tree

"Created by a survivor, our tree captures the essence of our work—to heal and empower individuals, families and communities who appear to be just a sapling but given time will grow to be vibrant, healthy and violence-free.”

- Debra Suh, Executive Director

 

OUR History

Center for the Pacific Asian Family (CPAF) began in 1978, when Nilda Rimonte, a Filipina American woman, questioned whether an immigrant Asian or Pacific Islander (API) woman experiencing domestic or sexual violence could get help – any help. When she found no clear options available, she pioneered the programs we use today at CPAF. Check out these LA Times articles from 1981 and ‘82.

CPAF is a non-profit organization recognized nationally for its pioneering work in addressing domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse within the Los Angeles API community. We created the first multi-lingual 24-hour helpline assisting API survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in the nation.

In 1981, we opened the first multi-lingual and multi-cultural domestic violence emergency shelter in the nation that specialized in serving API survivors. We were also the first to open a multi-lingual and multi-cultural transitional program focusing on the needs of survivors who seek to establish independent, violence-free lives.

In 2005, we expanded our Community Program, focused on community engagement and violence prevention programs. We provide a wide range of comprehensive services, all free of charge, in up to 30 API languages.

 
Founder, Nilda Rimonte

Founder, Nilda Rimonte

 
IMG-7005.jpg

Our Core Values

Commitment to nonviolence: We believe in every person’s right to live violence-free lives, and are committed to ending all forms of violence and oppression. We each take personal responsibility in learning and practicing nonviolence in our individual actions and in creating safe space for each other.

Upholding confidentiality: Confidentiality is essential for the safety of the women and children who have experience violence in their lives. We must not reveal the personal stories and information that we learn, nor the location of the shelters.

Self-determination: We believe that each of us know what is best for our lives, and have a right to make decisions about our own lives. We are committed to creating an environment that nurtures everyone to explore their potentials and possibilities.

Teamwork: We respect each other and the unique perspectives, life experiences, and strengths we bring, and the important roles we play at CPAF. We are all responsible for doing our part as well as assisting others in accomplishing their tasks.

Continued development: We believe that individual and organizational growth and development takes place in a safe, non-judgmental environment where all view and opinions are expressed through honest dialogue. We will individually and as a team remain open and flexible to introspection, constructive critique, and learning.

Collaboration: We are committed to work collaboratively in the community. Family violence and violence against women are problems that permeate all aspects of our community. We welcome agencies, groups, and individuals who will add to the solution.

 

Photo by Michelle Chan Photography

 
_DSC1614.jpg

Our Board of Directors

 
 

Our voluntary Board of Directors and Advisory Board members work tirelessly to provide CPAF with strategic direction and essential resources.

 
Mamie Funahashi, Photo
 
  • Mamie Funahashi (President) is currently the Vice President of Executive Partnerships for Community Initiatives. Community Initiatives acts as a thought-partner and provides professional services to nonprofit startups, established initiatives, networks, and collaborations. The nonprofit sponsors projects for the benefit of communities in service to social change.

    As a survivor of domestic violence herself, Mamie is deeply committed to helping victims and raising awareness about sexual assault and domestic violence. She brings to CPAF over 20 years of experience leading the financial functions of both nonprofit and for-profit organizations. Prior to joining Community Initiatives, Mamie spent 8 years as the Chief Financial Officer for Community Partners, overseeing and directing all aspects of the organization's finance and administrative operations. A graduate of USC’s Leventhal School of Accounting, Mamie began her accounting career at Arthur Andersen LLP and worked in the entertainment field for companies such as Fox Filmed Entertainment and Ticketmaster. She has extensive management experience in accounting, finance, auditing, technology and nonprofit taxation.

    Born and raised in Los Angeles, her heart has always been in community service and advancing the public good. Mamie also serves on the Board of Directors for Danny’s Farm Charitable Foundation and Education Spectrum.

Ui Sun An, Photo
 
  • Ui An (Vice President) joined the CPAF Board in October 2018 and has been a donor since 2015. Ui was born in South Korea and immigrated to Texas when he was only 1 year old. Most of his childhood was spent in Houston until his college years where he attended Texas A&M and graduated in 1995. Ui currently serve as the Engineering Director for Valero Energy. His career has taken him to states including Texas, Louisiana and now California.

    Ui met his wife Gina of 22 years while working in Corpus Christi, TX. They have three daughters and have lived in Torrance since 2006. Ui’s hobbies include spending time with his kids, jogging, movie watching, and golf. He also had a three-day acting career as an extra in the 2001 smash hit “Pearl Harbor” as a Japanese Pilot.

    On a more personal note, Ui grew up in a traditional Korean family-valued home, and unfortunately a home that included years of domestic violence. Ui and his sister begged their mother to leave for her well-being for as long as he can remember. As a Korean immigrant that could not speak English in a city where an Asian community was non-existent, she chose to stay and protect her children. When Ui first read CPAF’s mission and the services they provide, he knew this is an organization that he needed to be a part of.

 
May Chan, Photo
 
  • May K. Chan (Treasurer) is the Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Sustainability Officer of Cathay Bank. As General Counsel, she is responsible for overseeing all legal matters at Cathay Bank and providing legal guidance to various departments including Corporate Governance, Lending, Credit, Operations, Risk and Compliance, BSA, and Human Resources.

    Prior to her current role at Cathay Bank, she was a senior associate with Latham & Watkins in their Finance Department. Her practice focuses on the representation of lenders, borrowers, investment fund advisors, institutional investors and equity sponsors in complex financing transactions and other general transactional matters. She has particular experience in asset-based, acquisition, and working capital financing.

Anchulee Raongthum, Photo
 
  • Anchulee Raongthum (Secretary) is the Director of Outreach, Education and Support at A Square Group, LLC (ASG), a minority woman-owned small business that provides IT and professional services to the Federal government. Her professional background spans business development, sales, outreach, project management, and management of various public health programs including Medi-Cal, Healthy Families, Healthy Kids, Medicare, Covered California and the Federal Health Insurance Marketplace. The current program she works on supports consumers nationwide in accessing and enrolling in affordable health coverage through the Federal Health Insurance Marketplace (i.e., HealthCare.gov).

    Anchulee holds an M.S. in Instructional Design & Technology, MBA in Health Care Management, B.S. in Anthropology, and a B.A. in International Development Studies with an emphasis in Latin Communities. She has 20 years of nonprofit and health care experience, and her teams have won various awards for multicultural, public relations, and community outreach campaigns. Anchulee is also a current and founding Board Member of Refugee Children Center, Inc (RCC).

    Anchulee is happily married to Lane, who is a film and T.V. editor who loves surfing and photography. Together, they have two adorable, clever and loving kitties (Anchovy and Sharkfin Soup). In her spare time, Anchulee loves traveling, cooking, experimenting with recipes, watching other people cook on YouTube, and eating. She also loves designing jewelry and posting creations to her Etsy shop, “LA Jewelry Studio,” which serves as a fundraising arm for her nonprofit work for CPAF and RCC.

 
Sylvia Fong, Photo
 
  • Sylvia Fong is a progressive, high-impact global HR executive with over 25 years of advancing people strategies to deliver business value across developed and emerging markets. She led global HR teams and programs with Kimberly Clark and has worked with a diverse group of organizations, including The Los Angeles Times, Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO), JC Penney, and Dean Foods.

Deborah Yoon Jones, Photo
 
  • Deborah Yoon Jones is a partner in the Alston & Bird’s Litigation & Trial Practice Group. She is a business litigator whose clients include education clients, chemical companies, financial institutions and servicers, retail petroleum companies, telecommunications carriers, commercial real estate landlords and developers, real estate agents, and other businesses and individual business owners.

    She has litigated a wide variety of disputes in California state and federal courts, including matters involving general business concerns, consumer-based claims, commercial and residential foreclosures, unfair debt collection issues (FDCPA, FCRA, Rosenthal Act, etc.), unlawful detainer and commercial leasing disputes, commercial and residential easements, franchise matters involving the Petroleum Marketing Practices Act (PMPA), and real estate broker/agent commissions.

    Debbie also has experience representing national companies with their employment issues, which involve allegations of wrongful termination based on racial, gender, and age discrimination, retaliation, and harassment. She has also handled union grievances and advised on labor disputes. She has also litigated cases involving corporate control/partnership disputes, construction defects, legal and accountant malpractice and fraud, trademark infringement and insurance bad faith.

 
Nancy Lu, Photo
 
  • Nancy W. Lu is a Senior Vice President, Private Client Advisor with Bank of America Private Bank. She leads a team of financial advisors to deliver customized and comprehensive solutions for ultra high net worth individuals, families, institutions and foundations. Her team of advisors include Wealth Strategists, Portfolio Managers, Trust Officers, and Private Bankers.

    Prior to joining Private Bank, Nancy spent 20 years as a Senior Relationship Manager within Commercial Banking that specialized in the industrial, food, supply chain, logistics, and e-commerce industry verticals. Nancy has deep insight on the needs of business life cycles and has supported business owners plan and implement strategies to facilitate exit strategies including succession and estate planning.

    At Bank of America, Nancy was selected to serve on various leadership councils and programs to promote leadership development, community outreach, business integration and mentoring. Nancy is an active contributor of the bank’s Asian Leadership Team for Greater Los Angeles, which was formed to connect resources, strategic relationships and support for the Asian American business community. In 2015, Nancy collaborated with a team of highly passionate professionals to create the Leadership Development Program within bank’s Asian Leadership Network that focuses on developing and mentoring Asian American professional associates into future leaders. For this effort, Nancy and her team received the bank’s enterprise Diversity & Inclusion Award in 2017.

    Active in the community, Nancy serves on the board of Asian Pacific Family Center and is a contributing member of the City of Industry’s Manufacturers Council and San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership.

    Originally from Shanghai, China, Nancy grew up in Houston, Texas. She earned a BA in International Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles. She currently lives in Walnut, CA with her husband, Jonathan, and two sons, Benjamin (12) and Stephen (10).

Brittany N Morey, Photo
 
  • Brittany N. Morey Ph.D., M.P.H. has been involved with CPAF for over 10 years. After completing her undergraduate degree at UCLA, she was looking for opportunities to give back to the Asian and Pacific Islander communities.

    As a survivor of sexual assault herself, CPAF seemed like the perfect match. She became a volunteer intern working in child development with the children survivors of domestic violence in CPAF’s transitional shelter. The experience inspired her to eventually return to graduate school. Morey completed her master’s and Ph.D. in public health to prevent disease and promote well-being in Asian and Pacific Islander communities. She remained connected to CPAF as a volunteer and supporter.

    In 2018, Morey joined the CPAF Board of Directors. She now serves as the Board Development Chair. Currently, Morey is an Assistant Professor of Public Health at the University of California, Irvine. There, she conducts research and teaches courses in health disparities for Asian and Pacific Islander populations.

 
Kat Sea, Photo
  • Kat Sea is a graduate from UCLA, who has over 10 years of lending experience within the banking industry for the commercial real estate and affordable housing sectors. Kat is also a professional translator who has provided services to the UN, Walt Disney Pictures films, and various trade companies.

    Kat dedicates her time and energy as a volunteer for CPAF since 2010 and now serves on the board as Vice President. She utilizes her various language skills to provide translation/interpretation services to the API community. She is an active voice for the organization, propelling the agenda of domestic violence awareness. With personal domestic violence experience herself, she believes in becoming our own heroes, to “Thrive” rather than “Survive.”

    Kat resides in South Pasadena with her two loving albeit overweight cats.

San Tong, Photo
  • San Tong: With two decades of experience in social media, marketing, and corporate communications, San is currently a social media manager on the Corporate Communications team responsible for Alignment Health’s social media vision and strategy. She has worked for many industries, including Entertainment, (Hallmark Channel) Automotive (Honda, Acura, and Toyota), packaged goods, and technology, creating social media strategies to build engaged communities within the digital space.

    San is on the Center for the Pacific Asian Family (CPAF) board and has been active in fighting violence against women in the Asian community. She also volunteers with the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival where she found a home amongst filmmakers, community organizers, actors, and writers. San’s nonprofit experience also includes her role as chairperson of the "Conversations Committee" for ThinkLA, whose mission is to promote Los Angeles as a leading center of creativity and innovation in media, marketing, and advertising. In addition, San has been an active volunteer and fundraiser for School on Wheels, 826LA, and Kitt Crusaders. San has also been actively engaged in producing independent film projects, such as her film "Bordering on Treason" which aims to tell stories stemming from the Iraq War, which mainstream media have neglected. Fluent in Spanish, San also speaks Cantonese.

 

Our Advisory Board

 

Adeline Yoong

Andy Chen

Bonnie Tseng

Daniel Fan

Derek Li

Erwin Pineda

Grace Whitcomb

Hogan Lee

Jane Lee Cole

Jay Chung

Joann Lee

Joe Soong

Lisa Pai

May Ma Ross

Michelle Esperanza

Naomi Uyeda

Nila Cainglit

Rebecca Lee

Roselma Samala

Wesley Tanaka

Willy Ma

Yasuko Sakamoto Kowalchuk

Yvonne Wong Nishio


Our Executive Team

 
 
 
  • Patima Komolamit is a committed advocate for social justice and has worked in the field of domestic violence and sexual assault over the past 20 years. Patima has been educating and building awareness on the issue of violence against women and children within a wide variety of international and domestic non-profits, such as Su Casa Teen Outreach Center, Volunteer Services in Nepal, Center for Volunteering and Educating in Nepal and at Center for the Pacific Asian Family (CPAF). Patima joined CPAF in 2007 and has held leadership positions within CPAF for the past 15 years. Patima has served as the Co-Chair of the LA County Domestic Violence Shelter Committee; Board member of LA County’s Domestic Violence Council; and the South Regional Representative of the Sexual Assault Program Services Committee of the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CalCASA, now ValorUS). She has presented at the National Sexual Assault Conference (2018) on sexual assault and housing. She is currently a member of the California State Advisory Committee on Sexual Assault Victim Services; and a Co-Chair of the Housing and Economic Development Committee of the Asian American Pacific Islander Equity Alliance. Patima is grateful for the chance to work with such powerful, inspiring people who have been affected by violence and looks forward to building more capacity within robust local community organizations in effectively addressing these important issues.

 
  • Janice Oshiro has been the Fiscal Director at CPAF since 2000 and directs all aspects of fiscal controls and compliance. She has overseen the growth of CPAF’s budget from $1 million in 2000 to more than $5 million today. Previous to joining CPAF, she had ten years of actuarial analysis experience in the insurance industry. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from Occidental College, with a minor in Economics.

 
 
  • Terri Inda joined CPAF in 2020 as Shelter Program Manager and in 2023 became our Shelter Program Director. Terri is a passionate and driven advocate who has worked toward ending violence against women and children since 2009 and has been compelled to action by both her cultural and personal experience. Terri is a child survivor and the daughter of immigrant parents. She understands the many struggles and complexities that come with accessing and navigating in-language services and programs for underserved communities. Terri’s journey to overcome adversity is her guiding motivation to make sure all women and their families are served with dignity and respect and afforded the same rights as anyone else. During her career, Terri has had direct oversight of shelters, case management teams, non-residential support services, and children’s programs, and has helped develop and restructure a transitional housing program. Terri is a tireless advocate for children and has helped teams create and execute strategic plans for immediate and future results to better serve victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Terri is fluent in Spanish and grateful and honored to be serving such brave and powerful women as they thrive in their journey to a life free from violence.

 
  • Natchawi Wadman joined CPAF in 2019 after over a decade in the international development sector and has built a robust community program strategy and framework to provide culturally responsive directs services, implement a violence prevention program, and strengthen partnership development and assessment processes to enhance inclusion and equity partnerships, which resulted in increasing secure funding for the community program. She also works alongside the leadership team to enhance the racial justice and equity work throughout the organization. She was recently selected as a LEAP Fellow (Cohort 7) with VALOR.US (formerly California Coalition Against Sexual Assault). Even more recently, she was appointed as the Culturally Specific Populations – Asian/PI Representative on the California Services*Training*Officers*Prosecutors (STOP) Violence Against Women (VAW) Implementation Committee. She has brought over a decade of experiences in strategic program development, funding development and youth leadership development from the global perspectives while working in the international development sector. She holds a Master of Social Work with an Urban Leadership Program Certificate and is fluent in Thai.

 
 
  • Chet Lee joined CPAF in 2020. Taking advantage of the required workplace changes for remote work, Chet implemented foundational technology infrastructure to support Zero Trust policies and programs that would secure access to data and technology services. As many HR systems overlap with technology, Chet has also taken responsibility for HR and Admin functions. Prior to joining CPAF, Chet worked as Director of Systems Operations at Universal Music Group. He has a B.S. degree in Business Administration from UC Riverside.

 
  • Emily Krupin joined CPAF in 2021 as Director of Development and Communications, returning to the organization that first sparked her passion for the nonprofit sector. Emily has over a decade of communications experience and has worked in development since 2017, securing a wide range of support for polycultural organizations. Committed to serving historically under-resourced communities, Emily focuses on the policy areas of gender and racial equity, immigration, language access, and homelessness. Emily holds a master’s degree in public administration and a graduate certificate in public policy from USC Sol Price School of Public Policy, and a bachelor’s degree in creative writing from Sarah Lawrence College. Emily joined CPAF’s executive team in the 2021-2023 Los Angeles cohort of the Bridgespan Group’s Leading for Impact® (LFI) program, and the Fall 2022 Los Angeles cohort of Bridgespan Leadership Accelerator's Investing in Future Leaders program.


Our Competencies

Developed in 2022 during Bridespan Leadership Accelerator’s Investing in Future Leaders program, CPAF nurtures six core competences and six leadership competencies in staff and leaders.

 
 

Our Theory of Change

CPAF was founded to help address domestic violence and sexual assault in the Asian and Pacific Islander communities.

 
 

Our Funders

 

We are able to do our work because of the commitment of our government, foundation, corporate, community, and individual supporters.

Our Funders provide us with the resources and tools to fulfill CPAF’S mission of ending family and intimate partner violence in all of our communities.

Photo-for-blog.jpg

MAJOR SUPPORTERS: FY 2022-2023

PRIVATE (FOUNDATION/CORPORATE)

ABC Unified School District

AmazonSmile Foundation

The American Gift Fund

The Amgen Foundation

Anonymous

Array

Bank of America

Bank of Hope

The Blackbaud Giving Fund

California Community Foundation

California Partnership to End Domestic Violence

The California Wellness Foundation

Capital Group

Cathay Bank

Cathay Bank Foundation

Cause Communications

Center for Health Program Management

Charities Aid Foundation of America

Chinatown Service Center

CTBC Bank

Dwight Stuart Youth Fund

Fidelity Charitable

Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation

The Green Foundation

J.B. & Emily Van Nuys Charities Donor Advised Fund

John Gogian Family Foundation

The Kroger Co.

LA County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell

Liberty Hill Foundation

Mead Johnson Nutrition

My Sister's House

NBC Universal Media, LLC

North American Taiwanese Women's Association

Pacific Asian Counseling Services

The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation

Red Leaf Family Foundation

The Rose Hills Foundation

S. Mark Taper Foundation

The TJX Foundation, Inc.

Valero Energy Foundation

Weingart Foundation

Women's Foundation California

GOVERNMENT

California Department of Public Health

California Department of Social Services - Office of Child Abuse Prevention

California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services

City of Los Angeles - Community Investment For Families Department

City of Los Angeles - Mayor's Office of Public Safety

County of Los Angeles - Department of Public Health

County of Los Angeles - Office of the District Attorney

Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority

U.S. Department of Justice - Office on Violence Against Women